The burned district was the foreground of the | eral Foster than he opened all his guns. The picture which there became so familiar to me; prisoners crowded to the windows, and as shell and on the moonlight nights the weird shadows after shell came crashing down in close proxwhich fell around the smoked ruins were, in the imity, frightening the darkey firemen so that it dead quiet of midnight, enough to carry me in was almost impossible to get any work out of dreams to the cities whose foundations were be- them, we raised cheer upon cheer, which were yond the reach of history, and in whose streets not abated when one shell burst directly over the foot of the traveler alone resounds. Dimly us, and a piece came whizzing into the room, rising on the left hand were the ruins of the wounding slightly one of our number. Cathedral.

"A crumbling tower now remains

With scars of fire and water stains,
To show where stood the house of God."

"Our market" at the Roper was quite an institution, and a very important one, as it improved our diet and preserved our health thereby. Prisoners, as a general thing, "go to bed and Beyond, the Ashley flowed calmly to the sea, rise with the lark," and from early dawn flocked shiring as a silver sheet; and gazing now here to the front gate to buy the morning papers-the and now there, into the shadow or far away to Courier or Mercury-price twenty-five cents. the light, I sat and thought, with nothing but After the news-boys came the milk-women, who the footfall of the sentinel or his cry "All's for one dollar and a half per quart would sell well!" to break the stillness. But no, there was any quantity, watered to the taste (of the seller), sometimes an interruption, and a not unpleasant with which the bread at one dollar a loaf could one, coming as a flash far off in the horizon, be washed down. Later in the morning the and soon as a heavy, dull rumble to the ear. women and children begin to collect on the It was a gun; perhaps the Swamp Angel, per- opposite curb-stone with eggs, butter, potatoes, haps from Wagner. Away up among the stars fruits, yams, ground-nuts, dumplings, and pasthe practiced eye may discover the iron messen- try, and there until night a brisk traffic would ger which it sends, and follow it as you would a be kept up through the medium of the men of meteor, in its ascent, its graceful curve, and its the guard who were off duty. If we had not downward flight, until, coming so near that it funds to buy we could trade off our rations, and makes one hold his breath, you hear the whiz, at least get a change of diet. Who will not the crash, and the explosion. Yet I bade these long remember "old Aunty" sitting behind her fearful visitors welcome, for they are just from waiter of shrimps, or basket of potatoes, her "our guns," from under the old flag, and even pleasant "good-mor'n, massa," and her genial the smell of the powder has a refreshing tend- smile inviting your custom; or neat, tidy Sarah ency. One day a fire broke out close by the at her table covered with pies, cakes, etc.; the hospital, which was no sooner perceived by Gen-black-eyed little Mary and her companion Vir

ginia ready to run to the store, or take the | but to him it contains more than is written clothes of those who reveled in more than one suit out to the washer-woman; and "see me quick and le'me go," as the old thin-faced black wench, who was always cross and in a hurry was called, because of her frequent exclamation?

thereon with the pen. It brings the touch of the father, the voice of the mother, the breath of the beloved, perhaps the prattle of children, or it may bring volumes of sadness. In answer, the little you are permitted to write seems of no We were "on 'Change" there-not dabbling in use; and when you remember that there can be stocks, and little interested in the price of gold, no privacy about it, no respected seal, one great but getting the gossip from the women and the charm is removed, and confining yourself to guards, enjoying our pipes, or eating pies, fruit, plain matter of fact you feel it scarcely worth or nuts. At Charleston our money was not while to send it when finished. The cry, "Fall taken from us-those who had a balance in "the in for the mail!" was the first intimation we ever bank" at Macon when they left have it there had of their arrival, and then came a rush. yet their banker not having remitted as he Books, games, mending, cooking, and eating promised to do. Greenbacks we exchanged for were left unfinished and uncared for; drowsy five and six to one, gold at nineteen and twenty. sleepers are aroused by their companions; and Some prisoners, to increase their income, took all clustered around the door where stood the up the trades: and there was a tinman, who man with the precious documents in his hands. stripped all the gutters off the building to make As soon as quiet ensued he commenced to call tin pails; a tailor, who sowed tares and reaped the names, to which every fortunate man there wheat in the form of bread; a shoemaker, who present cried Here! and in response to others cared for our soles-for a consideration; and some one would answer" in work-house," "the a barber, who beautified our other extremity hospital," or "the jail," and not unfrequently all of whom were very useful and valuable mem-came the reply-half-stifled-"dead." The letbers of the community. We received our mails more regularly, another inexpressible comfort. When I went there no letters had reached me from home since my capture, and others had been many months in anxious expectation and suspense, knowing there must be letters lying somewhere in the Confederacy for them. Ah, those letters! Can any one ever tell what they are to a prisoner, those short pages of love, of consolation, of condolence? One little page!

ters all distributed, the happy men turn away to find some quiet place in which to read theirs, and to talk over the news with some friend, and the disappointed ones to book, work, or sleep, to chew the bitter cud and nurse a hope for better luck next time.

About the first of October the yellow-fever made itself known in our midst. That we should be instantly moved not humanity alone but the sanitary condition of the city demanded, and

immediate steps were taken toward that end. | storm came up, and we were soon soaked through,

The order was to me unwelcome, for I knew another place could not be found where so much comfort could be had, so much kindness shown us, as in the Roper Hospital. On the 5th of October about six hundred of us were ordered to hold ourselves in readiness to move, and immediately a busy scene commenced, for every one was determined to take away every article of property he possessed. Fortunate it proved that we did so. The market-women turned out en masse when they got wind of the proceeding, and, as we made our last bargains, we were greeted with, "I'se right sorry you'se gwine, massa," or "Old aunty done used up now, massa," and similar expressions of regret; and well they might regret our departure, for our stay had been no small profit to them.

and remained so, unable to sleep, but consoling ourselves with song until the morning, when one hard-tack was issued to each man (for which, I venture to say, each man was thankful), and that was our breakfast.

At about 10 A.M. we were marched three miles beyond, the town, and turned into a lot of about five acres of what had been a pine grove, but most of the trees had been cut down. The guard and artillery-two pieces-were posted, and we were in our new camp-an open field without shelter or means of providing it; many without coats or blankets, and here we looked forward to the winter-especially those in ill health-as a cheerless, hopeless prospect. There was neither wood nor water to be had in camp, and only six were permitted to go out at a time Certainly no such motley crew as ours ever for either, and the same rule applied to attendpassed through King Street before. Moving-ing the calls of nature; and when it is rememday in New York is not to be spoken of in com-bered that there were some 1500 prisoners, the parison. Every thing we had purchased, or harshness of this rule will be evident. Later, that had been given us, in the line of furniture the guard was thrown out so as to take in the and of cooking utensils, were brought along. brook and wood. At first we had to pick up all Chairs, stools, tables, kettles, pans, and pots, the wood we burned; but after some weeks were strung upon poles, or thrown over our about a dozen hatchets and axes were furnished shoulders, while here and there appeared a dark- for the use of all, which were found very useful, ey who had been impressed and loaded for the although the largest portion had not strength occasion, and in the rear of the column followed enough to use them very effectually. Some, two wagons loaded with "sundries." At the who were very sick, were taken to the hospital dépôt we were packed in box-cars after the usu- in the town, where for a time they were well al manner-the whistle shrieked, and we were cared for; but one afternoon they were turned "off from Charleston." Many made their es-out to make room for some of their own woundcape that night by jumping out the doors, or knocking the boards off from the ends of the

cars.

ed, marched the three miles to the camp, and turned in among us to endure or to die; which, I think, our captors little cared.

Early the next morning we arrived in Co- To provide shelter was naturally the desire lumbia, and were corralled near the dépôt, ex- and work of every one, bringing into play Yanposed to a scorching sun, from which we could kee ingenuity, and what in the army surpasses find no shade. Most of us had no rations, and even that in the architectural line-soldier's innaturally were quite hungry, rushing eagerly aft-genuity, which resulted in the erection of shaner every lot of bread brought for sale. One ties above ground and shanties below ground, young lady, who was looking at us from a house near by, seeing our desire for something to eat, burst out crying, exclaiming, "Poor fellows, they are so hungry!" God bless her for a kind, sympathizing heart!

of boughs, of limbs, of bark, of blankets—if men were lucky enough to have them to spare-and of old bedticks from the Roper, all thrown together promiscuously, presenting a singular although not unpicturesque appearance, and formI saw in a box-car near by a family of refu- ing a labyrinth through which, I learned by exgees from Tennessee living, consisting of father, perience, it was not easy for a man to find his mother, five children (two of them young ladies), way after dark. I should not omit to say that and an aged grandmother. The furniture and there were a few huts, built substantially of logs, neatness of their poor shelter, as well as their by men able to use and understanding how to conversation and manners, gave evidence that use the axe, in which were fire-places and chimthey were people of refinement who had seen neys built of mud and sticks, but they were few happier days. I afterward found that theirs the palaces of the city of poverty. The shanwas no unusual case, and saw a train of thirty ty of "my mess" was a bedtick arranged over a cars occupied by the same class of unfortunates. pole in the form of a tent, the sides and back In the afternoon we were moved a short dis-thatched with pine boughs. It was a well-ventance, and placed under the guard of the cadets tilated chateau, and would leak when it rained; from the military school, who, although boys, when we would rob our bodies of blankets to were well-drilled soldiers, reminding me more protect ourselves from the droppings--thinking of our own men than any I had seen in the cold alone was preferable to cold and wet toSouth. One of our number received a severe gether-turn in, and lie close to keep up the illustration of their discipline in the shape of a warmth, and, as we “let it rain,” ponder the rebayonet wound in the back, for passing outside mark of Mrs. Partington, "This is a checkerthe line to get a melon. At night a severe rain berry life."